EDI helps PHOs meet information needs.

While the organizational structures of physician-hospital organizations (PHOs) may differ from region to region, financial management of all PHOs requires that comparable information about the type and volume of patient services provided under each contract must be available so that the profitability of different contracts can be analyzed. However, comparable information often is not readily available. Obtaining these data is a challenge facing all PHOs. One Midwest healthcare system has designed and implemented an inexpensive electronic network that connects most of the participants in its PHO. This network has enabled the PHO to obtain information about the care provided under its contracts, information that would not be available otherwise.